Electrohydraulic manual transmission

In 1984, Isuzu introduced the "NAVi5", a semi-automatic gearbox with electronically-controlled hydraulics, for their domestic-market Aska. Initially available with an automatic mode only, the later incarnations added a manual mode. It was operated with an H-pattern gearshift, not a sequential shifter or paddles popular in today’s cars.

Ferrari offered the Mondial T model with a clutchless semi-automatic transmission, called Valeo transmission. In this system, the stick shift of a traditional manual transmission is retained, except the shifting and rev-matching is operated via hydraulic actuation. Moving the shifter automatically actuates the electrohydraulic clutch. This transmission was featured in an episode of Top Gear. In 2017, Toyota unveiled the GR HV SPORTS[8] concept with what looks like a similar transmission.

The most famous application of a sequential transmission in road-cars would be their use in some Ferraris since the late-nineties, beginning with the 355 F1. Their system, the most current version of which is called "F1-Superfast," with shift times of 60 ms[9] is designed to serve as a link to their Formula One efforts (which is the same type of electrohydraulic manual transmission system used in the Ferrari 640 Formula 1 car in 1989). This technology has also trickled down to the cars of their sister company, Maserati, where it is known as "Cambiocorsa". In 1999 Alfa Romeo 156 was the first mainstream car with a sequential transmission derived from the Ferrari system (Selespeed).[10][11]

BMW offered an H-pattern manual with an automated clutch in approximately half of their early-mid 90s Alpina E31 models (referred to as "Shiftronic"). This was in some ways a predecessor to their later sequential gearbox offering, a system simply called "sequential manual gearbox" (SMG) on the E36 M3(Starting in 1997) and later "SMG-II" on the E46 M3. BMW's first-generation SMG was also partly a Magneti Marelli system similar to the one used by Ferrari and Alfa.[12] The BMW SMG transmission has both automatic and manual shift modes. Inside the different modes, there are different programs, with six settings to control the upshift/downshift speed for manual operation, and five settings for automatic mode. BMW's final SMG gearbox, known as SMG III, was the fastest shifting gearbox at the time (2006), recording a 65 millisecond shift time in its most aggressive mode[13] - a time only surpassed by Ferrari with the 599 GTO (60 milliseconds) and later the Lamborghini Aventador (55 milliseconds).

BMW has since switched over to a Getrag dual-clutch transmission in the latest M3, and Ferrari as well in 2009 with the California and 458 Italia.

The 3rd generation Toyota MR2 used Toyota's version, known as the "Sequential Manual Transmission" (SMT).

Volkswagen Group (parent owner of Lamborghini) introduced an automated manual transmission to the Lamborghini Gallardo[14] [15] (E-gear) and then added it to the Audi R8[16] [17] [18] (R-tronic).

(*) "Production Year" is the first production year of the entire car (if multiple generations are available, this is the year of the one that introduced the electrohydraulic manual transmission), it's not the first year the electrohydraulic manual transmission was available (because there is currently not enough information available) and it's definitely not the first "Model Year" of the car.

• Semi-automatic transmission
• Dual-clutch transmission

• 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution: First Drive

• TREMEC Technology - Transmissions

• Types of transmissions - Edmunds

• Automatic transmission types explained